Philadelphia, PA - Today, March 11, 2015, Clean Water Action, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and PennEnvironment urged City Council to support Councilman Kenyatta Johnson's resolution tomorrow that urges Congress and the United States Department of Transportation to release specifications for tank car design and for Philadelphia rail companies to rapidly upgrade and replace crude oil tank cars. The resolution also urges the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to be more transparent and conduct emergency response workshops, specific to crude by rail, in communities at risk.

(Harrisburg) - Clean Water Action applauded Governor Tom Wolf's executive order reinstating the moratorium for new natural gas leasing of our state parks and forests. "This is an issue Clean Water Action has made a top priority ever since former Governor Tom Corbett first proposed revoking the moratorium last year," said Steve Hvozdovich, Pennsylvania Campaign Director for Clean Water Action.

Next to the governor, no one is more important to environmental protection in Pennsylvania than the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). We need someone heading the agency that has experience, is committed to the agency's mission of a cleaner environment, and is ready to tackle the environmental challenges facing our Commonwealth.

John Quigley is that person. He has an impressive record of public service, led an effort that developed the nation's first environmental siting standards for wind energy development, and partnered with the Clinton Climate Initiative to develop a business plan for the first carbon capture and storage network proposed in the world.

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently released a report that predicts that over the next 20 years there will be an average of 10 derailments annually at a cost of $4.5 billion and the potential of hundreds of deaths. Philadelphians are no strangers to these trains. You've seen them travel through our neighborhoods every day. You remember the two derailments that occurred locally - one of which threatened the Schuylkill River, a major drinking water source for Philadelphians.

Clean Air and the PA Bucket Brigade

Combating air pollution in Allegheny County, organizing with residents
in the municipalities across the Ohio River to reduce the pollution
coming from Neville Island and ensure that industry is being a "good
neighbor is just some of our work to make air cleaner in Allegheny County.

Campaign for Clean Water

Water is one of PA’s premier natural resources, with 83,184 miles of
streams and rivers, 161,445 acres of ponds and lakes, over 403,000 acres
of wetlands, and 47 trillion gallons of groundwater. These resources
are vital to the quality of life in our communities, providing drinking
water for millions and supporting countless industries. Having clean
water is extremely important to PA’s economy, with fishing activities
alone generating $4.7 billion a year in revenue and supporting 43,000
jobs. Clean water also improves property values, with higher values
directly associated with the health of streams and watersheds.